On the 27th of May, the first political meeting between the EU and the Caribbean was held in Antigua and Barbuda on the sidelines of the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen, with representatives of the European Union gathered to strengthen the partnership and exchange of investment opportunities between the regions.
The Caribbean and the European Union are essential partners. In 2023, they signed the Samoa Agreement, which provides a framework for the EU’s cooperation with 79 countries of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States.
Key EU investors and private sector stakeholders, such as Acciona, Hispasat, Balearia, HDF Energy, Origin by Ocean and Tecnalia (representing EU-LAC Digital Accelerator), met in Antigua to share opportunities under the Global Gateway Investment Agenda.
“We have over 130 projects aimed at advancing the green, digital, and fair triple transition in Latin America and the Caribbean. One of the novelties of Global Gateway is that to mobilise the level of investment needed to make a difference, we are bringing together public and private finance. I am happy to exchange with European companies and Caribbean partners to identify obstacles and opportunities for increased European investments in the region,” Commissioner Urpilainen added.
One key area is the region’s digital transition, which our cross-regional accelerator works on. It connects European, Caribbean, and Latin American corporate challenges with startups’ digital solutions, generating EU-LAC business partnerships.
“We were delighted to participate in this first political meeting to present our accelerator as a concrete opportunity for the region’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, forging business cooperation with the European Union to boost digital transformation. The EU-LAC partnerships generated and accelerated by our team will positively impact attracting investors, increasing their capabilities to work with open innovation and bringing opportunities to diversify the region’s economy,” expressed Paco Prieto, Co-Director of EU-LAC Digital Accelerator.
After the meeting, EU-LAC Digital Accelerator members will continue to strongly support the region with the support of the Caribbean Export Development Agency partner. Since the initiative began, this partner has organised multiple dynamics and activities, such as workshops and high-level panels, engaging with over 100 innovation ecosystem members.
At the political level, the meeting demonstrated the commitment of the European Union and the Caribbean to work together in the face of global challenges, based on shared values and a common vision for inclusive and equitable societies. It will be followed by an inaugural Caribbean–EU Council of Ministers.
